KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The UMKC women’s basketball team (11-18, 7-7 WAC) is set to begin play in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Tournament on Wednesday with an opening round matchup against Seattle U (15-14, 9-5 WAC).

#TeamKC Notes

UMKC enters the tournament as the five seed, after their highest finish since joining the league in and notching a 7-7 record in WAC competition, the best league mark since the 2011-12 season.

The team will face Seattle U in round one after a pair of matchups with them during the 2017-18 season. Both contests were tightly contested and resulted in 62-58 and 66-62 Seattle U wins.

UMKC has in the midst of a solid stretch of basketball, claiming victories in three of their past four games as they head to Las Vegas. The three wins came in convincing fashion with a 244-153 combined margin of victory.

The Roos success on the offensive end has been a highlight of the regular season, finishing as the league’s second-highest scoring offense at 67.9 points per game while owning the highest scoring average in WAC competition averaging 67.1 points per game. UMKC has exceptional shooting behind the three-point line, trailing only Grand Canyon for three-pointers made on year (201) and in conference play (97).

Senior guards Aries Washington(Kansas City, Mo.) and Samantha Waldron(Omaha, Neb.) were both selected to the All-WAC second team earlier in the week, voted on by the league’s coaches. Both sit among the conference’s leading scorers and rank among the top-five in three-pointers made this season.

Washington leads the team and ranks fourth in the WAC at 17.3 points per game on the season. Waldron leads the conference in three-pointers made on the year with 79 and needs eight more makes from beyond the arc to set a new UMKC single season record.

Kristen Moore(Chicago, Ill.) remains one of five players in the conference to rank in the league top-10 in both scoring and rebounding on the season. The redshirt junior forward, who has scored 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in her past two contests, is averaging 13.9 ppg and 6.1 rpg for the season. Moore also ranks second in the WAC in field goal percentage at an efficient .508.

Seattle U enters the WAC Tournament as the number four seed, finishing the season with a 9-5 record in league play. The team finished the year on a high note, ending a three-game losing with a pair of conference wins over CSU Bakersfield and Utah Valley to wrap up the regular season.

The matchup with UMKC will likely be a high-scoring affair featuring the top two scoring offenses in the WAC. The Redhawks lead the conference averaging 68.8 points per game overall and ranking second with 66.3 points per game in league play.

Unlike the Roos, Seattle U has not seen a significant portion of their offensive production come from beyond the arc, ranking seventh in WAC in shooting 30% from three-point distance against conference foes. Forcing the Redhawks into shooting away from the basket will be key for UMKC.

Seattle U also boasts a pair of players of who were recognized with All-Conference awards. Redshirt senior guard Alexis Montgomery was selected to the All-WAC first team after leading the conference with 19.4 ppg and 10.3 rpg.

Teammate Jacinta Beckley, who joins Waldron and Washington on the All-WAC second team, will also need to be keyed on in the contest. The senior forward has ranks 10th in the league in scoring at 13.3 ppg for the season and is the Redhawks’ primary long range shooting threat, converting 35.6% of her attempts from beyond the arc.

Up Next

A win over Seattle U would match UMKC up with the winner of New Mexico State and Chicago State for a second round contest on Friday, Mar. 9 at 2 p.m. CT.